My first character was a Guardian Fighter, now I'm looking to roll my second character. After playing a melee class I'd now like to try a caster, but I can't decide between Cleric or Wizard.
I'm strictly a solo PvE player, I've tried skirmishes and dungeons, but I really hated them. So I just want something that can solo through the main quests.
The wizard looks very appealing, but after playing a 'tank' class, I'm worried I'll find it too squishy. The cleric on the other hand, seems to have more survivability, but I'm not sure if I can just ignore healing and build it into a DPS caster like a wizard.
I'd love to hear other people's opinions. If you wanted to solo through the main quests, which would you choose?
Note: I only have one empty character slot, so I can't really try both
Comments
Lower level clerics can be pretty bursty, depending on the encounter. For example, a lined up Searing Light boosted with Divinity can obliterate packs of easy mobs and severely maim standard mobs. This is because each target hit by the beam does their own mini explosion to any of their buddies close by, so the damage is potentially higher than the numbers stated on the power when the encounter is clustered up.
Clerics are extremely bursty at lower levels, borderline overpowered and even at higher levels they do have quite good chunk abilities. I don't think I used a single postion before level 30 and even at level 60 it's a rare occurance for me to need potions. If you want a class which can self-sustain a cleric is the way to go even with the 60% reduction in self-heals.
The main problem is that as you get to the later levels the damage goes mind-numbingly down in scale. I can still burst some occassional mobs but there's so much stuff which I know any other class could handle effortlessly that I hav to dance around for a few power rotations.
Wizards, while squishy, have the CC and damage to back them up. It takes some getting used to but it's very much doable. At higher levels they can be arguably more sustainable simply because they have enough damage to take down foes quicker thus taking less overall damage.
Sadly at the end of this post I don't think I helped you decide but regardless of which you choose I think you will find both very adept at surviving encounters.
I've just seen a wonderful cleric video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arNF7v7rZlg which has impressed the heck out of me. So I'm very tempted by the cleric at the moment.
*Sigh* I may just have to spend some of my AD to get some more character slots, then I can try them both and see which one I like best
>Take Tank Pet.
>Roll Face On Keyboard
>Take Daunting Light when you can.
>???
>Profit.
Most of em' are awful, some of em are decent, and a few are pretty good."
For Wizard, I'm still levelling mine and I chose poor initial Ability Scores (hugely underestimated importance of Intelligence), but I mow through monsters like crazy and almost solo'd (made a mistake at 10% HP) at level the Cragmire Crypts endboss (the one with all the pirates, witches and werewolves). Your movement and CC skills are that good!
So, its more of an issue of what you are looking for. Since you are coming from perspective of GF where you thought you would be tanking and managing survivability and mob management, I guess you would be naturally more attracted to Cleric.
That's what I did bought 2 more character slots, just at a little over 300 zen now going for my next 2 slots, then it's time to save up for a cat or stone.
P.S.: Clerics are accepted in queues faster than a CW, it takes forever for a CW but I think you said you're not into skirmishes, does that include all dailies like the dungeon cause that's not a bad way to get AD, not a fast way but not bad.